Marionette
by Shizue-sejin
Summary: Bellatrix said that if she had had a child she would have given it to her master. What if she did? How will this child, with magic so dark, find out her own identity and her place in the world? Will she choose her family, or her Lord? Not Mary Sue.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, new story. I don't know how it's going to work though I swear that next one will not have an OC, which mine usually do. I like OCs okay? She's not going to be a Mary Sue, don't worry. Though if you catch glimpses of it, TELL ME.**

* * *

He held his newborn daughter in his arms. She was so small, so beautiful, so fascinating. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Truthfully, when he'd married Bellatrix he hadn't expected it to be a happy marriage, and it wasn't. The woman was cold, crazy and uncaring, the only thing she cared about was making the Dark Lord happy. He also followed him willingly, though he was more wary of the power. He'd give anything for his master but he knew that Bella's fascination was unhealthy, not that his was particularly healthy, but still. Rodolphus had refused to have children at first (Rabastan could marry and have children to continue the bloodline) because he knew this would happen. He would love the child - how could he not?- and Bella would only see the profit she could get from it, she would give their child to the Dark Lord, like she was doing now.

He sighed and smiled at his daughter. Annabelle Cassiopeia Lestrange was his little girl. She had been born with her mother's thick curls and his silvery grey eyes which resembled the Malfoys'. Anna looked up at him and gurgled, producing soft laughing noises through her tiny lips. He held her to his chest and moved his weight from one leg to the other, humming a soft song and coaxing his daughter to sleep. Magic thrummed in the room, magic from both father and daughter. Her magic was strong as it was, what with Lestrange and Black blood in her (not to mention other bloodlines mixed in from generations passed), and it was of grey nature, neither dark or light. Bella hadn't been happy with that, but through the distaste in her eyes he had seem something akin to fondness. Maybe she felt something but he knew that it only went so far, if Lord Voldemort asked her to kill Annabelle, she would do it and smile for him.

Rodolphus sighed and walked to the crib at the end of the room. He put the small bundle in and placed the protective enchantments around the cot.

He couldn't take this. It was his daughter, his flesh and blood, his little girl, his baby. Bellatrix had just offered the baby and, of course, Voldemort had accepted. It was a simple ceremony really. Voldemort would pour a tiny amount of his magic into Annabelle - his magic would become whole quickly enough - and she would absorb it. Her magic was so little right now, with only three days, that it would be taken over by the dark magic. The magic would turn dark, would grow quickly and she would forever be drawn to the Dark Lord. That combined with the fact that Bella and he , of all people, would raise her would make her the Dark Lord's most loyal and most powerful follower. Bella and him were very loyal, they would go to all lengths for him - it was what kept their marriage together - but giving up his child was going a bit far, even if she would become the Dark Lord's greatest weapon he could just discard her at a moment's notice. He could not allow that. He had to protect her from everything, no matter what. His mistakes no longer influenced just himself, but her too, he couldn't let anything bad happen to her.

Rodolphus aparated to Headquarters and strode to the Dark Lord's meeting room. He knew he was there, the dark mark of the inner circle gave them such a strong connection that he knew what his master was feeling and where his master was at all times.

Calming his heart rate and controlling his breath he knocked on the door. It opened, revealing Lucius Malfoy and, sitting in the throne at the back, his Lord.

"Rodolphus." Lucius said, smiling at his brother-in-law.

Rodolphus strode past Lucius, ignoring the astounded look shot at him, and knelt before his master. He knew what he was about to ask was insane and suicidal, he could just hope that his Lord would reward his long and faithful service. "My Lord." He started. "I come to you as faithful a servant as I have always and will always be. Please, might I have the honor of speaking with you privately?" He kept his eyes on the floor and his head bowed. He could feel Voldemort's interest through his mark.

"Leave us, Lucius."

Lucius bowed and left the room, presumably to stand outside the door as a guard.

"Stand."

Rodolphus stood.

"You seem afraid Rodolphus, you seem worried." The man's red eyes made such a contrast with his porcelain face and his ebony hair that they burned into him. A cold smile graced his features as he beckoned him closer. "What is so important that you must speak in private?"

Rodolphus walked closer and kneeled at his feet. He kept his head up and looked at his master with a strange surge of Griffindor courage. "It's my daughter, my Lord. She will be your greatest follower, even greater than Bellatrix and I, and you know that you are our world."

At Rodolphus' pause Tom Riddle looked him up and down, wondering what this could be about. Rodolphus was obviously here to demand something of him. Perhaps demand was wrong, beg was more appropriate. Though the Lestranges had never asked for anything more than the honor of killing and torturing for him.

"Go on." He said. He had to admit, he was curious.

"My wife and I do so much, as do all of our relatives." He began, licking his lips nervously. "We would do anything for you, truly, but if anything should happen to any of us while she is not yet of age, she, your ultimate servant, would be left at the mercy of ilk such as Dumbledore. You, my Lord, will never fall, while we can. If you could somehow secure our daughter for us we would be eternally grateful."

"Secure her?" Tom smiled cruelly. "It is true that I will never fall. Having her will always be useful, but if you fall the Ministry will put her somewhere out of our reach. Do you mean to make me your daughter's godfather?"

Rodolphus bowed his head. "My Lord, it is an utter outrage that I should request such a thing from you, but, please, I beg of you. It would calm our fears for her future."

"Does Bella know you ask this of me?"

Rodolphus visibly flinched. "My wife has not been in the right state of mind since giving birth, I am afraid that she would not even register me telling her anything."

It was quiet for a long time, but the pureblood didn't raise his head. He waited with bated breath for his master to answer.

"Very well." Tom's silky voice broke through. "I will name her my god-daughter at the ceremony tomorrow."

Rodolphus took a deep breath and let himself fall forwards, clutching his master's hand to his lips. "Thank you, my Lord. Thank you." He breathed and remained kneeling when Lord Voldemort took his hand away and stood.

"Now leave."

Rodolphus left so quickly one would think he had aparated right away.

His daughter was safe. She would not be cast aside, not of he names her his god-daughter. It's a binding magical contract, you couldn't break it if you don't want to lose your magic. His little Annie was safe.

He had always believed that he wouldn't care about anyone. The only person he even came close to loving was Rabastan, but he loved her.

* * *

"What?" Albus stood, looking at Severus. "What do you mean, Tom has a god-daughter?"

The rest of the Order looked at Severus with distrusting faces. They knew he was a Death Eater and even if Albus Dumbledore told them he was on their side, it was hard to believe. James and Sirius just kept to the back-ground, if they said anything of what they were thinking the Headmaster would be very upset. Nobody wanted that.

"Bellatrix had a daughter. Some time ago she told him that she would give her child to him, to do as he wished." Severus sat down, keeping as calm as he could. "He was going to just make her magic stronger, make her his best follower. I don't know what happened, yesterday evening he just announced that she would be his god-daughter. It's more than slightly ridiculous."

"When will this happen?"

"Tonight. In Lestrange Manor. All of the inner circle will be there; the Notts, the Malfoys, the Carrows, Rosier, Avery, Mulciber, Yaxley, Macnair, Travers, Jugson, Gibbon, Selwynn, Crabbe, Goyle, Rowle, Black, Rookwood and Dolohov. No others are allowed in the Manor, they don't trust anyone else around their daughter."

Albus sat back down, thinking deeply. Just a child. She was just a baby. But she wouldn't be that for long, she would grow as a member of the inner circle from the beginning. She would be unstoppable after soon. And she would be completely loyal to her parents' master. They needed to get that child away from there, somewhere where she would grow away from all of this, somewhere where nobody would find her, neither Death Eaters trying to get her back nor non Death Eaters trying to get revenge.

"We will get that child tonight and I will place her somewhere safe." Albus said.

Again, James and Sirius stayed silent, but with difficulty. Lily was pregnant. James couldn't imagine how the Lestranges would react to loosing their only child. Sure, they were insane, but they were parents. Still, they went to Lestrange Manor.

* * *

Annabelle's shrill cries filled the silence in the Lestranges' main ballroom. Eyes identical to hers were glued to her face as Rodolphus ran a hand through his brown hair. It was harder than he'd thought, watching the Dark Lord pour dark magic into his daughter. She was a quiet baby, she never made a sound, except when she was with him, and now she was screaming so loud her lungs could burst. Voldemort didn't even flinch at hearing her, though his inner circle did. They might do cruel things, but this was the new-born daughter of one of their comrades, some were even her relatives.

All of them stood in a circle, outside the runes and spells, in their Death Eater uniforms. Even Bella was there, though she was staring at Annabelle as if seeing her for the first time.

The dark magic streamed around them, so strong it shone in a million colors and crushed them. The air around them had so little oxygen that they could barely breathe and the only sounds around them were the Dark Lord's voice, he was chanting in latin, and Annabelle's shrill wails. But all of a sudden it was all gone. Silence reigned, not even Annabelle screamed anymore, and the magic had all but disappeared, the only residue was a slight shimmering glow around the babe's skin.

Rodolphus let out a deep breath as the Dark Lord started talking. "I present to you, Annabelle Cassiopeia Lestrange, my god-daughter."

They clapped until he put up his hands. At that moment Rodolphus hurried forwards and lifted his mask. Annabelle's face was still covered in tears, but as soon as she saw him she laughed. A smile fought its way to his face and he picked her up, placing a small kiss on her head. He noticed Rabastan was beside him, looking at Anna with a face much like his own. He cared for his niece.

Rodolphus lifted his little girl high in the air and she reached back down to him, giggling, and happiness surged through him. Until he looked at his wife, that is. She was just looking at the baby with a strange glint in her eyes, maybe she was just tired. She hadn't gotten past her depression and magic depletion yet.

"Congratulations, Rodolphus." Narcissa's voice sounded from behind him.

He turned, unable to keep the grin off his face. "She's fine, she's happy."

Narcissa reached out. "May I?"

"Me first, Narcissa." Without anyone noticing, Tom had gotten closer and he was looking at the baby with a strange glint in his eyes.

Rodolphus handed his daughter over to his master, trying to keep his hands from shaking, and stepped back to stand beside his brother. Rabastan placed a hand on the small of his back, showing his support. They might worship him, but they knew first hand how cruel he could be.

Tom held the baby at an arm's length. It was a small child, very fragile, but she looked at him without fear, just curiosity. He had to say, he hadn't seen a baby it quite a long time. He had forgotten how terribly annoying they were, but this one was his god-daughter. Admittedly, he didn't care about the child, but if he treated her in a certain manner she would be obedient not just for fear. Fear would mean that she would choose someone else if they scared her more or promised to protect her. No, he would make sure that she would serve him because she wanted to, and for that a certain amount of affection would be necessary. Maybe not affection, just kindness... maybe not kindness, just not cruelty. He could do that, he supposed.

"She will be a pretty girl." He said and handed her over to Narcissa. He saw the relief cloud Rodolphus' eyes. The man had shown more backbone than Tom had known he had. Not that he was a coward, he took on the most hardened of Aurors without batting an eye, but he had never requested anything of him. He never doubted the Lestranges' loyalty, but this child would be the key to keeping them in line. If ever the need arose.

Rodolphus loved his daughter, any person with eyes could see that, the question was, if forced to choose (however unlikely that was), would the girl choose her master, or her father?

A loud crash broke through the tense silence as Regulus rushed in, opening the doors without looking if they would bump into anything.

"My Lord! The wards were breached. The Order-" Regulus stopped when Lord Voldemort turned to him, eyes glistening red.

"Then we must go and greet them." His cold voice sounded. "Bella, you are in no condition to fight. Take the child."

Bellatrix hesitantly grabbed her daughter, holding her at an awkward angle away from her robes. The little girl was silent and looked at her father, she outstretched a small hand and Rodolphus rushed over to her. He pressed a kiss on his daughter's tiny fingers and turned to his wife.

"Keep her safe, Bella. I know you're not... feeling well but -"

"I know what I have to do, Rodolphus." Bellatrix snapped. "Now go and get rid of the filth on our grounds!"

Rodolphus looked like he was about to object when many loud steps approached the room. Shouts were heard as Dumbledore's followers ran towards them.

"If you brought that Mudblood into my house, old man, you'll regret it!" Rodolphus yelled. They knew where they were anyway. "Bella, leave."

For once, Bellatrix did as she was told, hurrying to the back to the ballroom and exiting through a small door. It closed behind her just as the doors burst open again, revealing a furious James Potter.

So the fight began.

It was difficult to see who was fighting who, what with the different colored spells flying through the room. The screams and shouts resonated, helped by the acoustics of the ballroom, and deafened them. Nobody saw Dumbledore slipping away until Voldemort yelled, following him, trying to kill him at all cost. But where he went, his inner circle followed, determined to make sure no filthy being got a lucky shot across, and the Order followed his inner circle

None of his inner circle died, mainly because Lestrange Manor had protective enchantments over its guests, though a few Order members did perish. It wasn't long before they got to the foyer, where Bellatrix was dueling with Marlene McKinnon. She was holding her daughter against her hip, awkwardness momentarily forgotten, and doing her best, but she hadn't recovered completely and she was being driven back.

Dumbledore wasted no time in helping Marlene and, with a few spells, he was holding the baby. Annabelle was crying as she looked at her mother unconscious on the ground. Rodolphus shouted out, trying to get to his daughter, but it was impossible, there were too many people around him, shouting curses, hexes and jinxes. Tom tried to get to the child, she was _his _god-daughter dammit, but Dumbledore had already left, disaparated, and his followers left with him.

For a long while all that was heard was Rodolphus' pained cries and Rabastan's whispered comforts as he tried to calm his brother.  
Tom was furious.

* * *

Albus held the sleeping girl in his arms. He had had to stun her to make her stop crying, she hadn't stopped since he had taken her from her mother's arms, as if knowing that it wasn't supposed to happen. He put down the baby in front of St Joseph's Orphanage for Boys and Girls and grabbed a small note from his pocket. 'Her name is Anna, she's four days old', the note said. Sighing, he put it on the girl's chest and rang the doorbell. Then he aparated to Headquarters.

As soon as he was gone, the door opened, revealing a woman in her mid thirties. She looked around, trying to find the source of the sound, but only looked down after a few seconds of turning her head. With a gasp she picked up the small bundle and read the note. She shook her head. Poor child, what would become of her?

* * *

Rodolphus sat and stared at the floor, paying no mind to the fact that he, his wife, his brother and Barty were about to be shipped off to Azkaban. At any other time, Barty would have annoyed him, yelling like this, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Rabastan was scared, he could tell, but Bella was shouting and insulting and _proud_. That was good. Since they had taken Annie he had been furious and in pain, both of them had gone more insane than they already were, it had united them. She had been strong and kept him going. He knew she cared about their daughter, he knew now because, while they didn't necessarily love each other, they were married and they had a child. They created her together, and she was gone. That thought flared a flame up inside him, hotter than fiendfyre. But the thought of the Dark Lord's downfall put it out again. They had gone looking for him. It was impossible for him to have died, it just could not be. They couldn't lose both their daughter and their master, they just couldn't. So they went to visit the Longbottoms for a friendly chat. Filthy blood-traitors.

"The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban, we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone gave him everything! We alone tried to find him!" Bella shouted, and Rodolphus had to fight the urge to nod.

These disgusting pieces of filth were not worthy of his attention, so he didn't look at any of them, not even when they carted him away to the dementors, or when they snapped his wand. If he had looked he would have seen Albus Dumbledore looking at him with something akin to pity in his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Anna Connor sat in the center of her bedroom, legs crossed and eyes closed. The room was dark – she never opened the blinds – and dust covered most of the flimsy furniture in it, except for a pile of fairy tale and fantasy books beside the bed and the bed itself, which had a rough cotton white blanket over it. The girl sat on the stone floor, face scrunched up in concentration as she made snooker balls fly and spin around her. Controlling this... energy she had always left her tired and made the memories come back, so she wasn't really happy with that part of it, but it was the only thing that set her apart from the others.

A sharp gasp broke the silence as she clutched her head and the balls hung still. A streak of pain had flashed through her mind and, after taking a few deep breaths she opened her eyes again. There, in the darkness, was a pair of blood red eyes staring at her. They were cold, cruel and... disappointed. As always. It hurt to see that judgement, it truly did. It drove a knife through her innards, twisted her stomach in guilt and made her desperate to please those eyes. Which was utterly ridiculous of course since she had never in her life met a person with red eyes. Not that her subconscious realized that.

Anna bit her lip and closed her eyes again, letting the balls sink slightly. Why? Why? WHY? Anger flared up at the simple word. Why did she feel guilt when she was the one who had been abandoned in this hell hole? Why should she please someone she had never met? The balls around her started to crack as a result of the pressure her anger caused, but then again, her eyes were closed and she didn't see it, she was too occupied with the memories that suddenly bombarded her mind to notice. Even with shut eyes she could make out the bright flashing lights that shot from one place to the others, screams and yells in a strange language deafened her and she was afraid, so afraid. Her body started to shake and she forced her eyes open. The red orbs were gone and in their place were eyes identical to hers. She couldn't look away, but neither did she want to. There was something about them that comforted her, something made her feel at home, wanted even. As she stared into them a warm feeling started to spread out from a place deep inside her and relaxed all her muscles. A soft humming filled her ears, a humming in a deep throaty voice that she had heard so often before. It came to her at night sometimes, when she was particularly miserable.

Automatically her soft voice joined in and she succumbed to the peace that enveloped her from the darkness. She felt arms wrapped around her, and she was rocked from one side to the other in a lazy rhythm. A small smile started to appear on her face.

But then a knocking interrupted all of it and her anger rose up, crushing the balls around her into tiny pieces that scattered on the floor.

"What?" She snapped.

The door was pushed open slightly and a girl peeked inside, letting rays of light illuminate the inside of the room slightly to reveal the mess of dust, books, clothes and food scattered all over the place. The girl, who was called Linda, didn't seem surprised at the mayhem, but rather terrified at the girl glaring at her. She fisted her linen dress nervously.

"M- Mrs Yeats wants to speak to you Anna." She stammered. "A- a teacher is waiting downstairs with her."

She flinched when Anna frowned, but then looked relieved as she saw that she wasn't the cause of the frown.

Anna was confused. A teacher? Here? Why? She behaved at school, maybe not as well as she could but hey, she was 11. She might not have the best marks (honestly, everything they taught was boring) but she acted like a right sweetheart all the time and they had nothing to complain about. Anna stood up, waving a hand lazily to repair the balls and lift them into a small box, and exited the room, heading to the living room with Linda following close behind.

Suddenly she stopped walking and turned to Linda, who, while she was nervous, knew she hadn't done anything wrong and looked at her calmly. Or rather, pretending to be calm.

"How do I look?" Anna asked.

"Fine." Linda hesitated. "But your hair is slightly-"

"Fix it." Anna cut her off.

Linda immediately did as she was told and Anna couldn't help but smirk. Linda was such a good girl now, so much better than before. Before, Linda had been one of the ones that tormented Anna. She had been one of the ones that hit her, that called her names, that told her her parents had been right in abandoning her. But then Anna had learned how to control this skill she had and, well, breaking bones was easier than breaking snooker balls.

Linda and Eric – one of the boys from the orphanage – were her right hands. They weren't her friends, hell no, they were still far beneath her, but she tolerated them and, as long as they did as they were told, they had a relationship of mutual gain. She was left alone while everyone listened to her when she wanted them to, and they could do what they wanted when she wasn't around, not even the other children stood up to them. Anna might not have been nice, but Linda and Eric weren't either.

"There you go, Anna. You look perfect." Linda said.

Anna waited for a second before giving Linda a blinding smile. "Thank you Linda. Now smiles up. We wouldn't want anyone to become suspicious, now would we?"

Lina immediately retaliated by giving Anna an angelic look. "Suspicious of what, Annie?"

Ah, Linda was such a good actress. One of the few things Anna approved of.

The two girls kept walking and soon got to the hallway by the living room. A large amount of children were crowding around the door, they were curiously trying to catch a glimpse of this teacher of hers but when they saw Anna they immediately parted and followed Linda's lead by smiling too. Eric stepped forwards and started shooing the children off, knowing Anna wouldn't want any eavesdroppers. Anna didn't even look at him, but he was used to it.

She opened the door and peeked her head inside.

"You wanted me, Mrs Yeats?"

Eleanor Yeats, the 49 year old matron of St Joseph's, sat on the couch with an older woman beside her. Mrs Yeats herself was wearing a creamy dress and brown shoes, her greying hair was tied back in a thick braid. In Anna's opinion Mrs Yeats was a kind but absolutely pathetic woman who couldn't see anything that went on right under her nose. She was stupidly easy to charm.

The other woman, however, seemed to be a no nonsense type. Everything about her screamed it; her tight bun, her crisp, ironed clothes, her perfectly straight posture, the age lines on her face that were most definitely not smile lines, but most of all, her eyes. The strict look she shot Anna was laced with mistrust and calculation.

Anna's smile didn't falter. Not even when she saw snakes slither over the woman's body and blood start streaming from her eyes and nose. She was used to hallucinations, they were a common occurrence. Anna calmly blinked and flexed her fingers, sending the chills that ran down her back away from her.

"Oh, yes, Anna. There you are!" Mrs Yeats stood up and bustled over to her. She grabbed Anna's hand and gently pulled to to the seat in front of the woman. "This is Professor McGonagall. She's a teacher at a special boarding-school in Scotland. She's here to talk to you about attending it!"

The now-named professor gave Anna a wary smile. "How do you do, child?"

Anna grinned at her. "Oh, very well, Professor. And yourself?"

The woman seemed to study her for a second before she answered: "I am well as well. Take a seat."

Anna sat, making sure to keep her face folded into a politely interested mask and to keep seeming as sweet as she wanted falcon-face to believe she was.

"I'll leave you to it, then." Mrs Yeats said and scuttled out of the room.

Anna's eyes landed on the fancy tea set Mrs Yeats had set out. She only took it out when she wanted to impress people, better impress this woman then. A few minutes passed in silence, but Anna felt very unwilling to break it, not knowing what the woman wanted to hear, after all.

"Have you ever done something strange, Anna?" The woman finally asked, still looking at her curiously.

"Strange, Professor?"

"Something you could not explain, something the other children cannot do." She clarified.

Anna's eyes immediately snapped up to the woman's face, cursing inwardly when she saw that she had noticed the quick reaction. Carefully she schooled her face to a nervous, maybe even ashamed expression.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You are a witch."

Anna furrowed her brows. "A witch? Are you a witch... too?"

"Yes, I am." She took out a long, polished stick and waved it over the tea set. One of the cups started floating and it rose high into the air, touching the ceiling, before coming back down and landing gently. "That is one of the first spells you will learn at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the school I've come to offer you a place at."

Minerva stopped talking when she noticed the slight trance the girl had gone in.

Magic, as she now knew it was called, triggered memories that weren't hers. Wether she did the magic herself, or someone around her did it, seemed to make no difference. Mostly she could just shake these vision off, but this one was too strong. Honestly, she didn't know what to make of the large house on the hill, with the old couple and middle-aged man bathed in green light, she really didn't. She hadn't seen this particular memory before either. At first these memories gave her nightmares, seeing people be tortured by thin air was quite frightening, but now she managed to hide and control her fear relatively well. Anna hurriedly snapped herself out of it and smiled at the teacher.

"I can do that too." Outstretching a hand, she put in a bit of effort and tea pot lifted. Gently she coaxed it into pouring some tea into one of the cups and she lifted the cup to the Professor, who accepted the drink with a flabbergasted look on her face. Anna almost smirked triumphantly. So she was showing off, so what? She wanted to make a good impression on this teacher. She was going to be taught by her after all.

Anna smiled softly. "I don't do it in front of the others. They're afraid of it and some of them hurt me before." She shrugged. "Though doing... magic feels good, it feels like I'm myself. I'm happy I'm not alone anymore."

So she was being honest for once, who cares?

"No. No, you're not alone, child." The Professor cleared her throat and looked away, as if to compose herself. "As I told you, I am here to offer you a place to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All magical children from 11 to 17 go there, those with magical parents were inscribed since birth and children from a non-magical heritage, muggle-born, are inscribed when they begin doing accidental magic."

"So... how did you find out I'm a... witch?"

"You were inscribed since birth."

Anna paused, shocked. "So you know who my parents are?" Her eyes were wide as she stood in a hurry.

"I'm afraid not." McGonagall said. "You see, when you were born, we were in the middle of a civil war, which has already ended. My guess is that, for your protection, your parents changed your name and put you here, where nobody would think to look for you, until they were safe and in a position to take care of you. I believe that if they did not come it means that, whoever they were, they are dead." The woman seemed devastated.

Not as devastated as her, though. Anna took a second to process the information before locking it all away to leaf through later. She was in the middle of something, she couldn't start screaming and breaking things now, no matter how much it tore her apart. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists for a second, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Her eyes opened again and sank to her seat again, then she looked up at McGonagall, who was looking at her with an expression of pity that would have infuriated her if she hadn't been so numb.

She forced a smile. "Thank you for telling me, Professor." She paused. "Does Mrs Yeats know about... me?"

"No. We have the International Statue of Secrecy to think of, which states that no muggles, non magical folk, are to know about magic unless strictly necessary." The woman paused. "But I digress. I have here-" She took out an envelope and set it on the table. "Is a letter that tells you about your acceptance to Hogwarts. With the letter are a list of supplies you will need and a train ticket. You will need to go to King's Cross station on the first of September to take the Hogwarts Express, it leaves at eleven."

Anna picked up the envelope. It was heavy and thick, the paper -parchment?- was rough and yellowed. Somebody had written her name in neat, loopy handwriting, along with exactly where she was. St Joseph's orphanage for children, London. Anna looked back up at McGonagall.

The woman put down a velvet pouch. "This is money from the student fund. We give money to all children who cannot pay for their own supplies. You need to go to the Leaky Cauldron on Charing Cross. There you may ask the barkeeper, Tom, to let you through to Diagon Alley, where you will find all that you might need." The woman seemed to be warming up to her as she asked: "Will you need assistance?"

Anna shook her head and forced a smile. "No, thank you Professor. I think I will be perfectly fine by myself."

Minerva nodded. "As you wish. If you will excuse me then, I must leave."

"I'll show you out." Anna walked with the woman, holding the pouch and the envelope tightly to her chest.

When she closed the door behind her, after beaming at her teacher and telling her she hoped she would have a nice remainder of the holiday, she let her smile drop. Her eyes darkened, turning the bright silver to a stormy grey, and a snarl pulled at her lips. Her footsteps sounded omnious as she trudged up the stairs, glaring at anyone who might try to get in her way. No one did, and the only one who called after her was Mrs Yeats, who was promptly ignored. She slammed the door of her bedroom shut and threw the envelope and pouch on her bed.

Then she screamed. She sreamed and pulled her hair and her belongings and furniture flew across the room, crashing into the walls as leafs of book were ripped out and scattered through the air. Her voice rang through the silence and rage blossomed up in her chest, it was like a drop of acid that burned its way into her heart and into her veins. It spread and filled her from top to bottom as she opened and closed her hands, hoping to calm herself.

As she stood among the rubble of her room, with ragged breaths and gritted teeth, she vowed she would find who killed her parents. She would find them and make them beg for mercy. Then she would kill them.

Small giggles burst through her lips.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall apparated back to het cottage in Caithness, Scotland. She walked into the small livingroom and sat on an armchair. A house-elf popped in, asked if she wanted tea, and left at her slight nod. Actually, she had had enough of tea for the day, but she couldn't bring herself to call back Mannie.

Annabelle -as she knew the child was actually called- was identical to Bellatrix. So identical in fact, that she was sure some people would recognize it, but almost no one knew the Lestranges had a daughter. She had feared this child to be the same as her parent, she had expected something like what Albus had told her Tom Riddle had been like in the orphanage, she had waited with baited breath for the rudeness and mockery that her face reminded her off. But it hadn't happened. Anna had been polite, kind and lonely. She had seemed ashamed of her magic, she had seemed glad of not being alone. She didn't know how much of it had been true -she had been teaching slytherins for over a decade now and could smell out a lie- but the child had not seemed _evil, _just angry and alone.

She had definitely not been lying about being harmed by the other children. Minerva knew how cruel children could be, she knew how afraid people could get of what they didn't understand.

Her amount of control had also been surprising, but once she started using a wand she would lose her wandless abilities almost completely, like all other children. What worried Minerva the most was the pause after using magic. Annabelle -Anna- had seemed to be in pain, or something akin to it. She had closed her eyes and held her breath, her lips had trembled and her brow had furrowed. It had been almost inperceptible, but it had been there. She had seen it.

She had also seen the hearbroken look Anna had when minerva had lied to her face and told her that she did not know who her parent were, and that they were probably dead. She had seen the way her eyes filled with tears. She had seen the way she looked down, forced a smile and clenched her fists. Minerva almost hadn't been able to help her self, she almost told Annab- Anna the truth then and there.

She could only hope Anna would enjoy herself at Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

Anna sat in the back of the bus, looking out of the window without really seeing any of the buildings and shops pass. Her jean-covered knees were pulled back against her chest and her feet were propped up against the seat in front of her. A small backpack was pressed between her side and the window. Her face was partially covered by her curls, that were as wild as ever, and her hands were covered by the too-long sleeves of her thin polyester jacket.

Mrs Yeats had given her money to buy new clothing. She had won a scholarship, Mrs Yeats said, she couldn't go to this school looking like a rag doll. Anna silently agreed, she definitely didn't want other magical people looking down on her. Finally she would be somewhere with people like her, finally she could talk to equals.

A small smile tugged at her lips. She had to find out all that was important in the magical world. Simple history, background information, small things that would help her navigate through wizarding life.

She wouldn't have to buy all that many clothes, she had new clothing. Mrs Yeats just didn't know it. Every once in a while she would collect the allowances and buy herself something new, so now she would have more money to properly buy what she needed. A frown pulled at her lips. First she would have to ask for help with the magical money, the golden, silver and bronze coins. The Professor had forgotten to teach her. She would have to find a bank -there had to be a bank somewhere, right?- where they could explain the currency and she could change the... muggle money for wizarding.

The rest of the bus was empty, since it was quite early, so Anna just smiled a real smile. It wasn't like anyone could see her, so she hummed the usual song.

* * *

"Here you go, one hundred galleons, fourty sickles and fifteen knuts." The strange being said. His voice came out as a hiss through his pointed teeth and his small black eyes were narrowed at her. His face was full of wrinkles and the few white hairs he had fell limp over his small hunched shoulders.

Anna put the coins back in the pouch and smiled at it- him- whatever she should call it- him. "So, seventeen sickles to a galleon and twenty-nine knuts to a sickle?" She confirmed.

The goblin, Ragnok, nodded. He had changed her pounds for wizarding money and asked explained it to her. He led her back to the street through halls and halls of marble, black and white, and gold details and statues and armour. It was truly impressive and she didn't stop herself from gaping. It didn't seem like the goblins liked the wizards much, so the more she flattered them, the less inclined they would be to do something that might hurt her.

She was young, not stupid.

Again she thanked Ragnok for his help and walked off in the direction he had said Wiseacre's Wizarding Equiptment was, which sold trunks among other things. The shop had two stories, and its front had dark wood paneling on which the shop's name was painted in gold. Silver and gold stars glittered all over the walls. Hesitantly she pushed open the door, causing a soft bell to chime as she stepped in.

It was early and the man behind the counter seemed asleep. He woke up when he heard the ring, however, and smiled at her. He scuttled from his spot, wiping his hands on a leather apron he wore around his waist, and stood in front of her, smiling. Ginger curls sprung from under a faded red cap and strong smell of... cider?... surrounded him.

"What can I do for you, lass?" He asked.

"I was wondering if you have trunks. I'm going to Hogwarts this year, you see. But I can't take anything too large with me." Anna kept her eyes fixed on the man's reddened ones and smiled sweetly.

"Of course! Come along, come along."He waved her through to the back of the shop. "You're here mighty early though."

"I don't sleep all that much." She answered. "I had to take the bus early."

"Muggle-born, are you?" He asked lightly.

"No." She bit out. "My parents were just busy." She lied through her teeth.

Anna was sure he had meant it well, or at least not badly, but she felt insulted. Born from... those inferior fools? Please.

"Here we are." He showed her a pile of large wooden trunks. Next to it was a smaller pile of what seemed to be large wooden briefcases. They had thick leather straps to keep them closed that matched the leather handle on top. "You said something smaller, right? These have an Undetectable Extension Charm, so they fit the same as a trunk, but they're easier to carry around." He rubbed the back of his face and smiled a crooked grin. "They haven't caught on much since most kids just use their parents' trunks."

She walked to one of them and picked it up. Its handle was smooth and felt comfortable in her hand so she wouldn't tire from carrying it around for long periods of time. "How much does it cost?"

"Just ten galleons, lass." He waved the price off. "I have the lowest prices in Diagon Alley!"

Anna raised an eyebrow but didn't complain. Approximately seven pounds to a galleon, which would be seventy pounds for the trunk... She guessed she could afford it... at the moment.

"I'll take one." She said and held it out to him.

"Great! Can I help you with anything else?" He asked as they walked back to the counter.

"No, thank you. I need to find everything on the school list." She held up the envelope. "I'll come back if I need anything from here through."

The man, who had never introduced himself, laughed. "Alright then, lass. That'll be ten galleons."

* * *

Anna carried her briefcase down the street. She already had her quills and parchment, her cauldron, her potions supplies, her scales, and her robes -which she had been able to buy first hand thanks to Mrs Yeats' gullible and kind donation- so now she walked to Obscurus Books, a bookshop in the far back of Diagon Alley (actually somewhere called Knockturn Alley) where she hoped to find all the books she needed. Granted, they would all be in Flourish and Blotts, but so would the rest of the wizarding world. At eleven in the morning a lot of wizards and witches were in Diagon Alley, shopping, and she just needed somewhere quiet right now. She was tired of smiling and nodding and being polite the whole morning.

She walked in the shop and started browsing the shelves. She looked at her list.

_Magical Drafts and Potions_

_Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_

_The Dark Forces; A Guide to Self-Protection_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

_A History of Magic_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguartion_

_Hogwarts; A History_

Most of them seemed interesting. The history ones for sure, she was always interested in the way people behaved and reading about people's screw ups was more than slightly hilarious. Potions seemed fascinating and so did charms and transfiguration, but defence against the dark arts? What were the dark arts? Wasn't magic just magic?

Anna frowned confusedly, but kept looking.

"Can I help you?"

Anna jumped and turned around, holding her hands up as if to push someone away. She came face to face with an old wrinkled woman. Ash gray hair hung loose down to her hips and her frail frame was wrapped in a thick woolen cloak, even if it was summer. The woman's cold brown eyes looked her up and down distrustfully before focussing on her face and widening.

"Who are you?" She asked, sounding as if in a daze.

"Anna." She answered. "Anna Connors."

"Anna Connors... and what are you doing in my shop?"

"Flourish and Blotts was too crowded." Anna whispered. The woman scared her. She was proud to say that not many things scared her, but this... person made chills run down her spine and her mouth turn dry. She licked her lips nervously. She was pressed up against the bookshelf and even so the woman stood hunched over her. Their noses almost touched.

"Too crowded." The woman turned away and waved to her over her shoulder, urging her to follow.

Anna followed, albeit wearily. She walked after the woman to the counter at the back of the shop. It was dark back there, only a single candle burned on a small plate on a shelf and it lit up a dark purple curtain, detailed with beads that shone in the light. The curtain was still moving slightly, as if the woman had just hurried out from behind it, and the metal rungs that held it up made a small squeaking sound that made Anna grit her teeth.

The air smelled of decay.

"You'll want a Hogwarts packet, won't you... Anna?"

"Yes, please. The first years'." The woman nodded without looking at her and whipped out a wand from her sleeve. The wand was thin, as thin as the woman, long and made of a pale wood that was twisted into a spiral. She waved the wand and looked back at Anna.

"The books will be ready in a minute, look around while you wait."

Anna stood still for a second before hesitantly turning around and losing herself in the maze of shelves. Many books interested her. Many of those books were of what could be called a dubious nature by the ones that made a difference between 'Light' and 'Dark' magic. Anna didn't care and, as she gently stroked a book called 'Secret of the Darkest Art' she felt a small purr force its way up her throat. She froze in shock. The magic inside her was reeling, like when she used it but now, it moved unbidden. A frown appeared on her face as she forced it back into submission, as she had done the whole day with the hallucinations. What did it matter if she saw gory and disgusting scenes wherever she went? She didn't want to see them so she wouldn't.

A flash of green engulfed her vision but she knew it wasn't real. She scrunched her eyes tightly and counted to ten, calming her breaths. After a few seconds she slowly opened her eyes, sighing in relief at the absence of the stinging in her gut that she got when her magic was active. In the dark she could make out red eyes, but they weren't disappointed. She didn't know what they felt now.

A small scream escaped her throat as a bony hand grabbed her shoulder from behind. She whirled around and saw the woman.

"What?" She snapped, her fear momentarily forgotten but then remembered again as she met the woman's eyes.

"Your books are ready." Her wheezing voice sounded. "But you can stay as long as you like." The sunken eyes trailed to the book in Anna's hands and widened slightly in alarm. "You can come whenever you like miss Le- Connors."

Anna stared at the woman in a daze and nodded slowly.

"Come then."

Again Anna followed the woman, but now she was led to the back of the shop, past the purple curtain. There was a small room with grey walls and dark wood on the floor. Rough furniture lay spread around and some armchairs stood before a large stone fireplace. The fireplace was lit and it bathed the room in a warm, eerie light. Without thinking, Anna walked to one of the armchairs and sat down, keeping the book clutched tightly in one of her hands and her briefcase in the other. Her eyes landed on a pile of books on a small table. The titles belonged to the books on her list and they were bound tightly, as if to be taken away. Those were her books.

"Here." The woman placed a simple glass tea-cup on the arm of her chair. Inside it was dark tea, nearly black. Anna sipped it and a strong bitter flavour spread through her mouth. The woman could have poisoned it, but somehow Anna though that no, the woman didn't mean her harm.

Grey eyes trailed to where the adult stood in a corner, pouring herself tea.

"What's your name?" Anna asked, not bothering to keep her tone fakely polite. This woman could look right into her soul, and she had already seen the bitterness in it.

"Agatha." The woman said.

"Thank you for letting me come here, Agatha."

* * *

The sun was almost setting as Anna stepped out of Obscurus Books to get the last item on her list. A wand. Her suitcase was heavier than before, what with the packet of books -which Agatha hadn't charged her for, surprisingly- and Anna was forced to half drag half carry it down the street. Most of the colorful shops had already closed and the windows were dark, but when she got to Olivander's there was still a light burning and the sign still said 'open'. Anna sighed in relief, not because she wasn't coming back to Diagon Alley, which she was, she just wanted to have her wand today.

A small bell rang as she stepped through the door but she paid it no mind as she set her briefcase down by the door. Her soft sneakers sounded loud as he walked to the middle of the silent room. She placed her hands on the dusty desk and cleared her throat.

Almost as soon as she had done that, a staircase slid into view, carrying a willowy man with grey hair. His eyes widened slightly as she saw her, but she ignored it. For some reason many people had done that, but she could not know why. Agatha, Anna seethed, had been unwilling to tell her. She had lied to Anna's face and said she didn't know what she was talking about. So now Anna ignored it and smiled charmingly.

"Excuse me, mr Olivander?"

"Yes, child?" Olivander stepped down and stood in front of her. The smile he directed at her was more than a little forced, but Anna refused to acknowledge that.

"I need a wand. I'm starting Hogwarts, you see."

"Yes. Yes, of course." The man seemed to shake himself out of his shock and opened a drawer. A measuring tape flew out and started floating around her, measuring the distance from shoulder to fingertips, from shoulder to toes, between her eyes and many other ridiculous places. Olivander turned away from her and walked among the rows of boxes.

"What is your wand arm, miss...?"

"Connors. Anna Connors. And... I mostly use my right arm but I can write just as well with my left." She said, trying to ignore the tape that was now measuring her head.

Olivander turned around and shooed the tape off, coming to stand just a few paces away and looking straight at her. He squinted slightly but the whipped back around and stalked back the way her came.

"A yew wand, definitely..." She heard him mumble. "Too familiar..."

Anna frowned but then smiled immediately as Olivander walked back with a large pile of wand cases in his arms. He put the carefully on his desk and started talking without looking at her. "Yes, you definitely must have a yew wand. Yew is for unusual customers, yes always... different. They never have a timid of mediocre wielder, but then-" His eyes shot to her. "I think you are neither."

He looked back down at the desk, where he had been dividing the wands into three piles. "Not too many unicorn hairs, those are for the purest of hearts and the yew wand are for those who wish for greatness. That kind of person very rarely doubts any of their actions, they think too much for that..." His eyes landed on the tallest tower, which consisted of only six wands. "Dragon Heartstring... Yes, that is the biggest chance." He picked one of and opened it. He held it out to her.

Anna looked into the box. On a soft copper fabric lay a long thin wand made of dark wood. The bottom of the handle was of a lighter wood and a trail of it traveled up to the tip of the wand, curving around it gently. Anna traced the lighter wood with her finger and couldn't help but frown. It felt wrong. Her magic coiled in around itself, deep in her stomach.

"No, not that one." Olivander snatched it away and put it on the other side of the desk. He grabbed another box and held it out. This wand was shorter, the wood was lighter, but the handle was curved at the end, creating a loop which held what seemed to be a small bead of ember.

Anna picked this one up. It felt...heavy, uncomfortable, but she waved it anyway. The windows shattered, making her jump away and hurriedly put the wand back into the case. "Sorry, sorry sir." She mumbled, but Olivander shook his head and waved his own wand.

The windows were repaired at the same time that Olivander held out another wand. Anna stared at this one. It lay in the box, on a thin sheet of silver cloth. The wand was of bone white wood, and very long. The handle, which was separated by a thin strip of black wood, had carving in the shape of ivy. The slits in the wood were filled with that seemed to be forest green ink. Anna picked it up and had to suppress a smile. It felt good, it felt right. It felt like having a friend.

She waved it and, to her surprise, a thin fog appeared in the room. The fog moved for a second before starting to disappear as in a sort of glitter.

"That one it is then. Nine and a half inches, fairly flexible. Yew and Dragon Heartstring, from a Peruvian Vipertooth." Olivander studied her carefully. "Yew wands are very powerful, miss Connors. I trust you will be... reasonable with your use of it."

Anna could barely contain a scoff as she nodded, smiled and paid him his thirteen galleons.

* * *

Narcissa kissed Draco's head. "If you misbehave, Draco, don't get caught." She smiled down at him.

Draco looked up at his mother and grinned, showing off his pearly teeth. "Of course, mother."

Lucius chuckled and placed a hand on Draco's shoulder, before letting his eyes trail over the other families on the platform. Beside him, Narcissa turned Draco around and pressed him to her chest, where he would stand until it was time for him to go. Narcissa loved her son, he was her world, she would do anything for him, and now he was leaving. He was growing up. Tears welled behind her eyes but she blinked them away, as a proper pure-blood lady should. Her fingers clenched on Draco's shoulders and he wriggled uncomfortably. She didn't notice. She couldn't get her sister out of her head. Narcissa couldn't imagine the pain Bellatrix must have gone through when they took Annabelle, she didn't want to imagine.

If Annabelle was alive, she would be going to school this year, so the Malfoys kept a looking around, as did the rest of the former inner-circle that was present. Draco had been told about his long lost cousin, how could he not be? She was family. Pure-blood family that had been wrongfully taken away from them. in any case she should have been returned to them when the Dark Lord fell, and for that, most of all, Narcissa would never forgive Dumbledore.

Then Lucius gasped and Narcissa's head shot to his face. Her blue eyes scanned the area at which he was looking and, finally, they landed on a young girl who was pulling a briefcase behind her. She was wearing muggle clothing, she saw with disgust, grey shoes and those horrible jeans with a green loose shirt. Her hair was Bellatrix's though, heavy black curls fell across her shoulders and back and she paused to wipe some lockes away from her eyes. From this distance they could see that her skin was pale and that her body was thin. Narcissa had never traveled with a time-turner, but she knew that Bellatrix had looked exactly as this girl did now.

The girl stopped and straightened up, as if feeling the gazes, but when she turned around she didn't look at them. She looked up, at the glass ceiling as if relieved of something. A tiny smile pulled at her lips, which were identical to Narcissa's, and her eyes glittered. Grey eyes.

"Rodolphus' eyes." Lucius mumbled.

"Where?" Draco asked, looking around wildly.

"Calm down, Draco. There." Narcissa gently directed his face to where Annabelle stood.

"She looks like aunt Bellatrix... in the pictures you showed me." He said.

"Yes, she does." Narcissa said, smiling fondly. "Get to know her, Draco, but pretend you don't know her. Find out about her life, and invite her over for christmas. We'll tell her everything there."

Draco nodded and carried off his trunk, entering through the same door as he saw his cousin enter the Hogwarts Express.


	4. Chapter 4

"Can we sit here?"

Anna looked up from 'A History of Magic' and turned to the door of her compartment. A boy stood there, of her same age, with platinum blonde hair and wizarding robes made of what seemed to be silk. Two boys were behind him, big and hulking, with looks of utter confusion on their faces. She looked back at the boy and as soon as she met his eyes, her jaw dropped. His eyes were grey, silvery grey like hers. They had the same shape as the ones she always saw, the ones that calmed her, the ones that looked like hers.

She nodded and he sat down next to her, smiling softly. The other two lumbered in and shoved the three trunks under the seats, gently placing three owl cages on the seats.

"I'm Draco," He said. "Draco Malfoy, and these are Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle." He pointed at each of the other boys in turn. Anna glanced at them and nodded. They didn't look very smart, but they were magic so she didn't mind too much. Now it just mattered what kind of magic they were.

"I'm Anna Connors." She said, smiling at Draco. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Draco leaned back on the seats. "You're not a mudblood, are you?"

Mudblood. Agatha told her that that was the word pure-bloods, wizards with only wizards in their family line, used for muggle-borns. This kid dared call her a mudblood? She frowned.

"No." She snapped at him. "And don't ever even think of calling me such filth again, Draco."

Draco raised an eyebrow but grinned. "Good." He held out a hand. "I've never heard of your family name, but I think my name is good enough for the both of us. Lets be friends."

Anna stared at Draco in surprise. She had never had a friend before, and here this boy came offering friendship? He seemed to care about bloodlines and positions, so why did he want to be her friend? With narrowed eyes she accepted the hand and shook it. "Sure." She said.

Draco laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not planning anything bad." Then he sobered up and continued. "Though that's a very slytherin mentality you have."

Anna scoffed. "Slytherin is the only house worth my time." She hesitated. "Except perhaps Ravenclaw."

Draco nodded and clapped her shoulder. "Welcome to the club. We're all going to be slytherins, even Crabbe and Goyle."

Anna looked at the other two, who were looking out the window blankly. Then she shrugged. Draco was obviously pure-blood, she supposed he would know more about the chemistry between people. He should tell her.

"Tell me about the wizarding world." She said, suddenly.

"Weren't you not a mudblood?"

"I'm not. I just didn't grow up amongst wizards. My parents are wizards, I was told as much, but I never met them." She told Draco. Anna couldn't help herself, Draco had her eyes. Against all instinct, against all better judgement, she already trusted him. But she didn't trust the other two. Her eyes shot towards them but Draco shook his head.

"They're fine. They won't say a word."

Anna nodded. "Then start talking, Draco."

Draco laughed. "Then I'll tell you the most basic thing for all wizards with any amount of self respect. Don't get involved with the Weasleys." His nose scrunched up as if in disgust. "They're pure-blood but they always have more chiildren than they can support so they are poor. Their father is obsessed with muggles. Blood traitor."

Anna looked at Draco and smiled. "I'll be sure not to get along with Weasleys then."

Draco laughed.

* * *

Draco couldn't believe it. As he absentmindedly munched on a chocolate frog, he kept his eyes on Annabelle. Though he had to remember to call her just Anna, he knew she was his cousin. How else could he be so comfortable and familiar with her right away? She had the right beliefs, the right way of thinking, she fitted right in with the rest of the family.

A small smile crept onto his face as he watched his long-lost cousin roll her eyes at something she read. He had told her everything he knew about all families, including many recent events, like the fall of the Dark Lord. She had been very interested in that, she had said that a teacher of Hogwarts had told her her parents had placed her in that filthy muggle orphanage -willingly- to protect her. Willingly! It enraged him to just think about that. His cousin had been forced to live amongst filth and rubble for such a long time! As soon as he got to the common room he would write to Father and Mother about this. Poor Mother would be devasted.

Draco traced a finger over the new robes he was wearing. They were a soft blue, made of fine silk and light and costly. Then he looked at Anna's clothing. He frowned at the thought of Annabelle Lestrange being dressed in _muggle hand-me-downs_, it was outrageous. But they would make it all alright again. Draco would be best of friends with her, he knew that already, and he would help her adapt to living in the magical world. He would teach her everything she needed to know to be a proper pure-blood lady, deserving of the fortune aunt Bellatrix and uncle Rodolphus had left behind.

Suddenly the compartment door burst open and Theodore Nott poked his head in. Theo had chocolate brown hair that hung past his chin, in stark contrast to Draco's combed back platinum locks, and his warm brown eyes usually made people less weary of him. Big mistake, Draco thought grimly, as Theo was as venemous a snake as they come. But Theo was more... how could he put it... solitary. He liked his alone time. Draco remembered a time when Theo claimed they would always be together, but that faded when Mrs Nott died. He had never really enjoyed other people's prolonged company since then.

"Draco, here you are." He said, but as his eyes dismissed Crabbe and Goyle they fixated on Anna.

Draco suddenly felt a surge of protectiveness. "She's not a mudblood, if that's what you're thinking." He said hurriedly, which made Anna lift her head.

She looked at Theo for a second, studying him closely before nodding at him in silence.

"Her name is Anna." Draco provided.

Theo's eyes immediately shot to his own. Mr Nott had obviously told him about Annabelle, and Theo's eyes were questioning as he stared at Draco. Draco's lips curved slightly, almost unnoticeably, but Theo saw it and Anna, who had already lowered her eyes back to her book, didn't. Theo nodded quickly. He understood.

"Just thought you'd want to know, Potter's on the train." Theo continued as if nothing had happened. "Our compartment's at the back of the train, and his is right between this one and ours. You coming? You can see Potter on our way there."

Draco turned to Anna. "Want to come? We'll go sit with more pure-blood future slytherins."

Anna looked up. She looked around the compartment, eyes landing on each of the inhabitants for a second before nodding. "Sounds fun." Though she sounded more resigned than anything else.

Draco saw Theo grimace and rolled his eyes. Of course Theo would be bothered by 'too many people', but he hadn't expected Anna to be. But since Anna had agreed to go, he stood and smiled at her as she tucked her book under her arm and grabbed what seemed to be a briefcase, the only luggage she had brought.

* * *

"How dare he! How very dare he!" Draco seethed as he let himself fall in his seat. Around him, Pansy, Blaise, Theo, Vince, Greg and Anna just stared at him. Anna sat down beside him as the others busied themselves putting all the luggage in order. "How dare that stupid half-blood choose a Weasley over me?! Me! I'm Draco Malfoy, you don't just reject a Malfoy's friendship! That's-"

"Oh, give it a rest, Draco." Anna cut him off as she crossed her legs. "Why should you care? That kid's an idiot."

Draco glared at Anna for a second before grumbling and crossing his arms. "Whatever." He scoffed.

Then Pansy cleared her throat. "Draco, who is this?" She asked as she looked down her nose at Anna.

Anna just looked at her blankly, though Draco could see a slight tenseness in her shoulders. Vincent and Gregory, who had not been paying attention, looked up, and Draco figured they must have been paying attention in the other compartment. Theo just stared at Anna, something which he had been doing for a short while now, as if she were just a very complicated puzzle which confused him beyond measure. Draco looked at Pansy.

He had never actually been too fond of Pansy. It wasn't her looks, which he had to admit weren't that good, it was her closed mindedness. Not being a blood-purist, no, it was that she was very... rash and demanded immediate action. She was too... Griffindor-y for him to actually _like _her.

"This is Anna Connors." Draco said. "She's no mudblood and she's my new friend. Be nice, Pansy."

Pansy scowled at him for a while before turning to Anna. "Welcome to Slytherin." She grumbled.

Anna gave her a blinding smile, which was obviously fake to all of them. "Thank you, Pansy. I'm sure we'll be friends." She wasn't even trying to mask her distaste.

Draco shook his head.

"How do you get sorted?" Anna asked, turning back to Draco and looking at him with the pure curiosity she usually looked at him with.

"Father said a hat does it." He answered.

"A hat?" She repeated, incredulously.

"A magical sorting hat." Blaise drawled. "Supposedly the founders charmed it to talk and look into your thoughts when you wear it. Depending on what he sees, he sorts you into a house. It's not difficult... Anna."

Anna looked out the window, scowling. "I don't want it looking through my thoughts, those are private."

"The hat is sworn to secrecy." Theo said, stunning everyone at him actually bothering to talk. But he wasn't looking at any of them, he had picked up a book of his own and started reading. he talked without looking up. "My father said the sorting hat cannot divulge anything it sees in your head, to anyone."

Anna looked at him and nodded.

"We should get changed." Pansy said as she stood up. She held out a hand at Anna. "Lets go."

Anna looked at Pansy's pale hand for a second before grabbing it and getting up. "We'll be right back, then." She said, and the black curls and black bob-cut disappeared through the compartment door.

* * *

Anna closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, trying to work away a beginning migraine. She was also nauseous and she didn't know if it was the rocking of the boat, or the amount of magic in the air. Bile rose up her throat but she swallowed it down hastily, she wouldn't disgrace herself like this, not in front of Draco. She sat huddled in a corner of the little boat -which she shared with Draco, Vince and Greg- and tried to take deep breaths.

"Anna, look!" Draco called.

Anna opened her eyes and turned to where Draco was pointing. On the top of a hill stood a huge castle, the mot gigantic building Anna had ever seen, and it seemed to shine golden in the moonlight. Thousands of candles seemed to shine through every window and they lit up the grounds around the building, revealing the huge trees of the forest nearby. Anna couldn't help but smile. Despite the nausea and headache, she smiled at this truly magical place where she now belonged.

"Mind yer 'eads!" The huge gate-keeper, Hagrid yelled back at them from where he passed under a ledge of the rocks that stuck out over the lake. But none of the children had to duck as none of them were as large as him and so none cold even touch it with their fingertips.

Soon enough they arrived, and Anna had to admit that it hadn't been the boats that made her nauseous, it had been the magic. She felt light headed and as they walked up the stairs she felt herself reaching out to Draco for support. As soon as her fingers touched his arms, he turned, frowning in confusion.

"Are you alright?" He whispered.

She shook her head slightly. "I feel a bit dizzy." She mumbled lowly enough so that only Draco's friends, who stood all around them, could hear. A few of them glanced at her worriedly, but Draco just hung back and let her lean on him properly.

"Just relax. The sorting's not that bad."

"It's not the sorting." She growled. "I don't know what it is."

Draco was silent as they stopped in front of an old woman. He felt Anna tense next to him.

"McGonagall." She whispered. "She's strict."

"Welcome to Hogwarts." Minerva's voice echoed as she looked around, eyes landing on Anna for a fraction of a second. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room.  
The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.  
The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarted yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." With a last look at them all she turned around and walked through the huge doors behind her, though which they heard loud voices chattering excitedly.

Draco turned to Anna and straightened her up. "Come on Anna, you're alright." He studied her face, which had become paler than usual and her eyes which had almost closed. She nodded numbly and placed her hands on her shoulders, using him to find her balance. Her head hung low for a second as they heard her take deep breaths. They heard her mumble a few words and then she stood again. Her body shook slightly before she stood perfectly still. Anna's grey eyes were blank until she blinked a few times and focussed on him again.

"I'm alright. I'm alright now." She muttered, right as McGonagall re-entered and beckoned them to follow her.

Draco smiled, though her was still worried. "Good. Let's go then."

They walked side by side through the Great Hall, keeping their chins up and backs straight like the rest of the pure-bloods around them. She could easily have passed for one, Draco mused, even without the training. It seemed she had always been very prideful, even if she didn't know of what. A soft snigger almost escaped him but her kept his face blank and looked up at the teachers' table, where his godfather Severus sat.

"That's Severus Snape." He whispered to Anna. "He teaches potions and is my godfather. He's head of Slytherin House and very... partial to them."

Anna followed his gaze and looked at the man sitting there, watching them. His black hair had a greasy sheen and his nose was slightly too large for his face, though it seemed to be even larger because of the scowl that seemed to be a permanent part of his face. Anna hummed and looked at the ceiling. She had read in_ Hogwarts; A History _that it had been charmed to look like the sky, but the descriptions hadn't even begun to cut it. She resisted the urge to gape and looked back down at where the rest of the first years were settling at the foot of some steps. Up those steps, before the whole Great Hall, stood a small stool with a battered brown hat on top of it.

Anna raised her eyebrows right as it began to sing and, while she had been expecting it, she couldn't help but stare at it in bafflement.

"_Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_  
_But don't judge on what you see,_  
_I'll eat myself if you can find_  
_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_  
_Your top hats sleek and tall,_  
_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_  
_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_  
_The Sorting Hat can't see,_  
_So try me on and I will tell you_  
_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_  
_Where dwell the brave at heart,_  
_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_  
_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_  
_Where they are just and loyal,_  
_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_  
_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_  
_if you've a ready mind,_  
_Where those of wit and learning,_  
_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_  
_You'll make your real friends,_  
_Those cunning folks use any means_  
_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
_And don't get in a flap!_  
_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_  
_For I'm a Thinking Cap_!"

The hat finished reciting in its hoarse voice and soon the whole school was clapping, some houses olouder than other (Griffindor), but even so, the hat seemed to appreciate the gesture. The unsorted first years clapped along, though Anna turned to Draco. "He didn't have much praise for Slytherin."

Draco scowled. "Of course he didn't. All slytherins are ambitious and you can't turn 'evil'" He quoted with his fingers. "without being ambitious. People then tend to think that all of us will be like that."

Anna sighed but nodded. That didn't mean she didn't want to be in Slytherin though, it was the only house in which the people seem to have real ideas and aspirations. It was one of their main descriptions!

She took a deep breath, still keeping her dizziness and nausea firmly bottled down, but then she noticed something. A slight nagging in her chest, as if... there were something... familiar? She closed her eyes slightly. A memory swallowed her and she saw the same Great hall, but the teachers were different. Some were younger, some weren't there, some were other people. She heard a name be called. _Tom Riddle_. Anna frowned. Who was-

"Anna Connors!"

Anna was snapped out of the memory as McGonagall called her name. Without having time to hesitate she walked forwards and climbed the steps. A frown pulled at her lips. The more she went upwards, the stronger the nagging feeling felt. Her eyes snapped among the teachers until they fixed on a young man wearing a turban. He was staring at her and as she met his eyes the nagging turned to a full out pain. A small whimper passed her lips but nobody heard it. He seemed to notice though.

Then she sat and for a fraction of a second she met Draco's eyes before hers were covered by the Sorting Hat.

"_What do we have here? Anna?_" She heard a voice whisper in her ear, the same raspy, throaty voice the hat had. "_Such an interesting head. So many memories that don't belong to you_."

Anna frowned but said nothing.

"_Don't feel like talking? Then I'll just take a look around_." For a few seconds she was silent. "_Yes, yes, it's quite clear..._

SLYHTERIN!" He yelled aloud and Anna just smirked at Draco as she stepped to her house mates.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, thank you for reading! I really appreciate anything anyone has to say about the story, or characters. I have the plot all mapped out so don't worry, but any questions or recommendations are welcome!**

* * *

Anna ate her breakfast quietly, not bothering to look up at anyone for nobody held her interest. She pretended she hadn't heard the argument this morning, in which the older years confronted Draco about being friends with her. They called her a mudblood. She wasn't even angry, she felt contempt. Draco hadn't backed down, he had gotten angry and told them something; he whispered something and then they backed down immediately. They stared at her. Draco knew who she was and had told them. Anna bit her lip in anger. Why didn't he tell her?

She wasn't going to cause a scene. Snape had come into the common room last night, right after the feast, and said that the house had to be united. Any disagreements had to be kept behind closed doors. No weakness could be shown to the other students. She wouldn't do that, she couldn't dream of it.

Anna rubbed her head absent-mindedly. She still had a migraine, it was like a soft thrumming through her head that just wouldn't fade away. At least the nausea wasn't so bad that she couldn't eat. She looked up as Snape put down her timetable next to her tea-cup.

"Thank you, sir." She mumbled and, though he made no response, she knew he heard her.

She didn't feel like acting all sweet and cuddly with the other slytherins. What was the point? Everyone saw through eachother easily. She couldn't be bothered if it was in vain. Anna snapped her neck sideways and closed her eyes. The food was nicer than at the orphanage. She had a large room to herself, like all slytherins, and it was nicely furnished with a four-poster bed with green sheets, a desk and a small bookcase. It felt... private, like it was her own place. She smiled softly but that slid off her face as Draco sat in front of her. He scowled at her.

"You didn't wait for me."

Anna sipped her tea. "What do you think of what Dumbledore said last night? About the third floor corridor?"

Pansy sat next to her as Greg and Vince sat on either side of Draco. Anna hid her distaste at the other girl -they weren't in the common room- and kept eating. Draco looked at her for a while before grabbing his own breakfast and shrugging.

"The old man does as he likes. Why should we care?"

"We shouldn't." Pansy cut in. "He's insane any way. That's what Mother says."

"You should learn to think for yourself, Pansy. There's not always going to be someone to tell you what to think." Anna muttered.

"What was that?" Pansy hissed.

Anna looked the other girl in the eyes. "Nothing." She put down her empty tea-cup. "We have Potions and then Defence. I'm going to my room to get my things." She stood and walked off ignoring Draco's look of surprise.

She walked against the current as most of the students were heading towards the Great Hall instead of from it, but since she was small she just stuck to the walls and weaved around the suits of armor and other things. Her eyes landed on an interesting painting every now and then but she didn't talk to them, most of them would gossip -the prefects had told them as much- and she didn't want people knowing everything she said in a _private_ conversation. As she stepped through the common room entrance she bumped into Theo.

"Anna." He mumbled, looking at her in surprise. His voice was soft and raspy, as if he rarely raised it or even used it. "Done with breakfast?"

Anna nodded. "I have to get my things."

"What do we have first?"

"Just Potions and Defence."

Theo nodded and turned around. "If you'll wait a second I can get my things and we'll walk to Potions together. I don't usually have breakfast."

Anna nodded. "Fine." She passed him and walked down the hall to the girls' dormitories. Her door had her name painted on it and she just had to press her wand to the door handle to unlock it. She stuffed her books and potions supplies into a small backpack and left, humming softly under her breath. It calmed her so much that there was rarely a day in which she didn't hum the song.

Sitting in the common room she looked around. The sofas were of green velvet, as were the footstools and armchairs. The cushions and curtains were silver and all the wood -from furniture and floor- was thick and dark. A few paintings hung on the walls, but they were all of famous slytherins, which meant they wouldn't tell anything to any non-slytherins. Then the windows caught her eyes. She knew they looked into the Black Lake, but last night the water had been so dark it could have been thick black paint. Now she saw the green water glittering and mermaids looking in and waving now and then. She smiled softly at one of them and then stood when Theo walked in.

Theo gave her a strange look but then beckoned her first through the door. "Ladies first."He said.

Anna raised an eyebrow but passed. They walked in silence to Potions, but Anna prefered his truthful silence to Draco's lies.

* * *

Draco sat next to her in Potions. Anna didn't look at him.

"What is wrong with you?" He hissed under his breath.

"Nothing is wrong with me. It's what's wrong with you that's the matter."

He looked at her in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

Anna's eyes hardened. "I'll tell you after all our classes. Now isn't the time and here isn't the place." She motioned to the other people in the room, particularly Pansy who had been glaring at her since she walked in. Pansy was sitting next to Daphne Greengrass, a pretty blonde who seemed to be much more pleasant company than Pansy. Anna busied herself by taking out her supplies and cauldron, ordering them all in alphabetical order and then staring ahead trying to keep herself from puking -that damn nausea had come back- and ignore the migraine which had become a deep thrumming which really _hurt_.

On the other side of the corridor, Theo was leafing through his potions book, though he kept glancing sideways at her. He hadn't minded walking with her, though the only reason he had done it in the first place was because his father had insisted that the Dark Lord's god-daughter be well taken care of. Well taken care of didn't mean happy though, and he knew she was upset. Her eyes weren't that hard to read. She had probably noticed Draco knew her identity, which he assumed she didn't know herself, and thus was angry for not being told. If her family didn't tell her, he wouldn't either. He knew his place in such delicate situations.

The slytherins became silent after this small episode, which all of them had pretended to ignore and the griffindors had flat-out not noticed, and minded their own business until class started.

The door burst open and professor Snape stalked in, his long dark robes billowing behind him as if there were wind. Which in Anna's opinion was just to show off.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class." Snape stood in the front of the class and turned to them "As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle art and exact science that is potion making. However, for those select few-" Snape looked at Draco and Anna saw him grin at his Godfather. "who possess the predisposition, I can teach you to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory and even put a stopper in death."

Snape let his eyes trail over the students, until they landed on someone. Anna followed his eyes and saw the skinny boy that had angered Draco on the train. The messy mop of brown hair was immediately recognizeable, but the green eyes which she had found to be of such an... interesting colour were cast downwards to a notebook, where he was scribbling what the professor had just said.

"Then again," Snape continued in a voice laced with poison. "maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that they feel confident enough to not pay attention."

A bushy haired girl beside him -another griffindor, Anna thought snidely- shoved his arm and Harry looked up hurriedly, his hair falling to all sides and revealing his famous scar. Anna heard Draco mutter something but ignored him, he was probably still offended by the boy.

"Mr Potter, our... new... celebrity. Tell me, what would I get if I powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"Easy." Draco muttered.

"Yes, now shut up." Anna whispered.

Harry shrugged while the girl next to him half stood in an effort to get professor Snape to see her hand in the air. Everyone had already seen her hand and there was absolutely no need for her to answer. Snape wasn't questioning Harry to see what he knew, he clearly just didn't like him and wanted to put him in his place. Something which all the slytherins seemed to approve of.

"You don't know? Well, lets try again. Where, mr Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

"The drawer labled 'bezoars'?" Theo mumbled.

A small snigger passed through the slytherin desks but nobody was paying attention to them. Rather, everyone's eyes were turned to Harry Potter, who now answered with "I don't know, sir." and the other girl, who was quite literally standing by this point. Anna wouldn't be surprised if she resorted to jumping up and down.

"And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"I don't know sir."

To the slytherins' disappointment, the girl didn't start jumping, but seemed to give up as she sat down and looked at her lap. Apparently she had some sort of self-respect. But honestly, that image of desperation would stay with her forever. What kind of child was so eager to answer a teacher's question. Particularly Snape. Anna just kept reading her potions book and rubbing her forehead to get rid of the pain.

"Pity." Snape said. "Clearly, fame isn't everything is it, mr Potter?"

* * *

"Are you alright, Anna?" Draco whispered as they walked to Defence. He had noticed Anna rubbing her head throughout Potions and now hung her head and dropped her pace. He put a hand on her shoulder and, to his surprise, she didn't shrug it off, she just stopped walking and looked him straight in the eyes. Around then, Greg, Vince, Pansy, Daphne, Blaise and Theo stopped walking and made a sort of protective circle around them. They seemed to pretend to be talking amongst each other or looking for something in their bags but Draco knew, they were listening. Slytherins stuck together and if there was something wrong with one of them, they were all involved.

Anna looked at them for a second before shaking her head. "No, I don't feel well. I... I'm dizzy and nauseous and the migraine I had last night only got worse. After class I'll talk to you properly and then I want to go to bed and lie down because I can't stay on my feet much longer." Anna grabbed Draco's arm for support. "But don't go getting any ideas, Draco. I'm still angry at you."

"But why?" He asked frustratedly as he led her forwards, walking to class with the others all around them.

"Not now, Draco." Anna growled. "Just get us seats at the back of the class. As far away from Quirrell as you can."

Draco looked at Anna curiously but nodded. Just why he was listening to her, he didn't know but if she wasn't feeling well he would help her get better. That's what family was for.

"Draco." Theo whispered behind him.

Draco turned his face slightly to show he had heard him.

"She knows you know who she is. She's angry that you didn't tell her."

Draco almost groaned, but didn't since she would hear him and nodded in thanks. Then they stepped through the door and saw professor Quirrell. He sat behind his desk but looked up immediately when they stepped in. Draco didn't know what it was but he didn't quite believe the innocent mask that was placed when he realized who they were.

The others greeted Quirrell politely but he busied himself in leading Anna to her seat, a seat as far away from Quirrell as possible, and getting their belongings out. He looked at her worriedly when he heard a small whimper pass her lips. Her face was screwed up in pain and her eyes were closed. She held her head as if she were afraid it would break.

He sat down. "Breathe, Anna." He whispered.

Anna nodded and rested her head on her books. "I think I might throw up."

"Don't." Pansy whispered from her stop before them "You'll get it all over me."

Daphne next to Pansy rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to her, Anna. Just concentrate on your breathing and you'll be fine until after class. Then we'll get you to the common room and we'll talk to professor Snape."

A small hum passed Anna's lips and they noticed she was humming a melody. Her back seemed to stop shaking and her breathing became more regular so whatever she was doing must have been helping.

"W- well, now that y-y-you are all he-here, we can st-st-start the class." Quirrell stood and walked to the board.

Draco winced as Anna let out a small groan.

* * *

"M-miss Connor, p-please stay a while." Quirrell piped up as they were about to leave.

Anna's hand clenched on Draco's arm but she straightened up. "Wait for me in the common room." She mumbled and turned around. "Yes sir."

She noticed Draco and the others hesitating by the door but she looked back at them and gave them the calmest smile she could muster. Slowly they started leaving and she took a deep breath before walking to the front of the class. The rest of the students passed by her and she bit her lip trying to push all the pain she felt at approaching Quirrell to the back of her mind. He had sat down at his desk and seemed to be putting his things back in order. He didn't even look up until the rest of the children had left.

"You wanted something professor?" Anna asked.

"What hurts?" He asked without stuttering at a single word.

Anna frowned in confusion but for some reason she heard herself answering without meaning to. "My head. I have nausea and I have vertigo."

Quirrell looked up from his desk and pointed his wand at her. Before Anna would react, her world turned black.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, my Lord?" Quirinius asked.

"Of course I'm sure, you fool." The face on the back of his head snapped. "That is Annabelle and the only reason she feels like this is because that fool Dumbledore didn't let me finish the ritual properly. I had to perform a second ceremony a year after the first, which would bring balance back to her magical core. I put part of my core in her, of course it would have side effects. She feels pain when around me, less pain now than if I had my own body, and magic makes her ill. Being around magic, using magic, anything with it makes her ill. It's even worse now that she's been like this for eleven years. Eleven years!"

His master's anger burned him and a whimper a small cry of pain echoed in the room, which was empty besides for him and the stunned girl on his desk.

"I cannot do much without my body." Lord Voldemort continued. "I will have to do the secondary ceremony properly when I have my body back, but now I can make the pain she feels around me disappear. She is my god-daughter, Quirrell. She is _mine,_ damn it, Bellatrix gave her to _me._ I will not let anyone break _my _things."

"Y-yes, my Lord." He whimpered, lowering his head in pain.

"Obliviate her when I am done." Was the last thing Quirinius heard before his master took over his body in a flood of pain.

When he came to, Quirinius sat on his chair just looking at the little girl. She was still stunned and Lord Voldemort was silent. He supposed casting such powerful dark magic in his current state must have been exhausting. He rubbed his forehead, wiping away some bead of sweat before standing up and pointing his Aspen wand at Anna...belle's face. He hesitated a second before casting the spell.

"Obliviate." He felt his magic swoop through her mind and modify her most recent memories. When that was done he moved her to a chair. "Renervate." He whispered and watched carefully as her eyelids fluttered open. Pretty grey eyes looked at him in confusion.

"Y-you f-f-fainted." He stuttered. "I think i-it was the ver-ver-vertigo."

Anna frowned but nodded, still clearly confused. "I apologise, professor. I think I should get going now."

"Y-yes. Make sure to talk t-to p-p-professor Snape."

The girl nodded, still rubbing her head, and picked up her bag. She swung it over her shoulder and hurried unsteadily from the room. As she left, Quirinius couldn't help but sigh in relief.

* * *

As soon as she exited the classroom, her head seemed to split open. Anna cried out in pain, but no one heard her as she was in an empty corridor, and fell to her knees. She clutched her head as wave after wave of agony washed over her, each one driving her further into her mind than the last, until it stopped and all the colours around her had disappeared. Everything was in black, white and grey and the trees in the courtyard in front of her were... smaller. Another memory? For a second she thought it was just that, until her body started moving without her permission. A small cry of panic escaped her lips but then her lips snapped shut for her.

Anna didn't know whether to be afraid of joyous. She didn't have control of her body, and it was walking on the opposite direction from the Slytherin common room, but -for some reason- the nausea, dizziness and headache were gone. Her legs kept moving and she walked through halls and up stairs. She weaved through corridors, passing through doors, past paintings and ghosts, until she reached a door. It was a tall door, made of twisted metal with gold plastered here and there. Her hand reached out and turned the handle and the door swung open, revealing rows upon rows of shelves covered in trophies. Her eyes landed on a boy in the middle of the room. He was older than her, and very tall. Black hair fell across his eyes and his lips were curled into a smile. Her body moved forwards to stand beside him.

She studied him for a while, particularly his dark eyes which were just staring at a trophy in front of them. For some reason he seemed familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it before her face forcefully turned to the trophy. it was a large trophy and it shone in the candle light. In a plaque near the base was written in beautifull curving handwriting.

_Hogwarts Award for Services to the School_

_Tom Marvolo Riddle_

Tom Riddle? That was the same as... But before Anna could finish the thought her body started twitching in pain. Anna shut her eyes but as soon as it had come, it was gone, and she was kneeling in front of the Defence classroom again. The nausea and vertigo were back, but for some reason they had fallen to the background of her mind and she didn't feel as bad as she had before. In fact, she felt as she had when she had arrived. Which in comparison to half an hour ago, was almost like new.

Swallowing nervously, Anna hurried to her feet and headed to the common room. As soon as she entered Draco was rushing to her, worry drawn all over his face. Anna froze when she saw him. She was still angry, wasn't she? But as she saw him like that, concerned for her well-being, she couldn't help but force herself to forgive him. He was the first person who... cared, he wouldn't hide something like this from her. She trusted him.

"Anna! Are you alright?" Draco grabbed her arm and gently, at least to him, guided her to an armchair.

"I'm feeling better, Draco." She gave him a genuine smile, causing him and the rest of them to pause. "I think it has to get worse before it gets better. Don't worry about it." She stood up and grabbed her things, heading for her room.

"Anna!" Draco called her back.

"Yes?" She asked, turning back to him.

"Weren't you angry at me for something?"

Anna paused before shaking her head. "No, no it's alright now."


End file.
